


Where They are Just and Loyal

by withthekeyisking



Series: Com. Fics [3]
Category: Batman (Comics), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Damian Wayne Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Good Bro Jason Todd, Good Bro Tim Drake, Hufflepuff Damian Wayne, Protective Dick Grayson, Ravenclaw Jason Todd, Sibling Bonding, Slytherin Dick Grayson, Slytherin Tim Drake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:07:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25950067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withthekeyisking/pseuds/withthekeyisking
Summary: Everyone who meets Damian is sure that he's going to be a Slytherin, like his father and mother before him.Dick's never had a doubt in his mind that the kid would end up in Hufflepuff. It's just that now that it's actually happened, they have to deal with the fallout.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne
Series: Com. Fics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872547
Comments: 60
Kudos: 623





	Where They are Just and Loyal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Offendedfish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Offendedfish/gifts).



> Here it is! Thank you for coming to me to write this fun piece. I hope you enjoy! 😊

"You have to admit," Tim says, "this is pretty funny."

Dick cuts a glare at him but doesn't say anything, instead turning back to face the door in front of them. He bites his lip anxiously, still debating; should they just force their way in anyway, despite the lock? Damian clearly wants to be alone, but it's not like it would be hard to get in. _Alohomora_ is such a simple spell that Dick wouldn't even even need to say it or wave his wand. And usually whenever Damian wants to be alone, it's best to seek him out anyway. The kid needs support.

"I'm serious!" Tim continues. "Damian talks non-stop about his superiority as the _blood son,_ and how my sorting was a complete fluke, and now _this_ happens? Come on, Dick, even _you_ can admit the karma involved here is pretty awesome."

"Would you stop?" Dick says irritably. Damian's very quiet on the other side of the door. Maybe he put up a muffling charm? Kid's always been talented past his years. He can definitely hear them, though, and that can't be helping. "This is a big deal for him."

"Yeah, that's the point I'm making," Tim agrees. "This is a big deal. Maybe it'll finally get him to stop insulting us. Me, in particular."

Dick is stopped from responding by Jason's arrival, the younger boy rushing up to them with a grin.

"Is it true?" Jason asks. "Is the demon brat a Hufflepuff? Damn, I can't believe I missed it. Skip out on _one sorting_ and suddenly you're really missing out!"

"Yeah, where _were_ you, by the way?" Dick asks, distracted from the Damian issue for a moment, turning to look at his brother. "If you think Professor Zatara didn't notice—"

"Of course he noticed," Jason says dismissively, waving a hand. "He always notices. He'll deduct five points and then we'll all move on."

"The school year hasn't even _started_ yet," Dick says, exasperated, "and you're _already_ losing points?"

"I've been talking to Roy, you have _no_ ground to stand on, Dickie," Jason smirks. _"How_ many points did you lose before the opening feast even started your second year? Over fifty, wasn't it? Bet your house wasn't too pleased about that."

Dick rolls his eyes skyward, sighing. He has to talk to Roy, make him stop telling his brothers shit like that. Bruce wants him to be a good example for the others and he does his best, but it's not like he's ever been the Golden Boy Jason and the others make him out to be. Dick got into quite a bit of trouble through the years; he's just far better at getting away with it, or talking his way out of any punishment.

Losing sixty points for racing Roy and Wally on brooms across the lake and then ending up crashing into the Whomping Willow was one of the times he _definitely_ didn't get away with it, but man was it fun.

"So what happened?" Jason asks. "Did the kid lose it? Demand a resorting? Refuse to go to the Hufflepuff table?"

No, it was so much worse than that. Damian didn't make a fuss, didn't rage at Professor Prince standing next to him. Instead, Damian's entire body went rigid, his confident expression shuttering into blankness. And then he stood stiffly and made his way over to the Hufflepuff table, all without a word or a glance at anyone else.

He didn't speak or look up from his plate through the entirety of the feast. Dick knows; he was watching.

And a majority of the room was in shock, too. Anyone who knows the name _Wayne_ knows the long history, knows that Bruce is one of the richest and most famous Slytherins there is. Anyone who knows the al Ghul connection knows the long, _long_ line of only Slytherins on that side. Anyone who's met Damian knows he's ambitious and ruthless and arrogant and puts quite a lot of emphasis on blood.

 _Everyone_ expected him to be a Slytherin. He was practically the poster child for the house, in their eyes.

But Dick's always known differently. He knows his little brother, helped him grow when he first came to live with them all at Wayne Manor. He knows that there's no one kinder, no one more loyal, when given the chance. He knows that all of Damian's ambition and ruthlessness come from what he thinks he has to be, what Talia and Ra's forced into his head. What he thinks an al Ghul and a Wayne should be.

And Dick is so, _so_ relieved the hat saw that and put Damian where he belongs. Being in Slytherin would've been bad for Damian, would've hurt him in the long run. But in Hufflepuff—they'll help him grow, the way Dick's tried to help him. They'll help him come into his own, help him learn that he is so much more than just an al Ghul legacy.

But first, they have to get through Damian's very negative reaction to his sorting.

"Neither of you are helping," Dick says shortly.

Jason gives him an exasperated look. "Dickie, standing outside this room and _hoping_ he opens it isn't gonna do anyone any good. Give him some space, and some time." He snorts. "And be prepared for him to send Bruce a message to get him the fuck out of here, 'cause no way does the kid wanna stay after that."

"Bruce wouldn't," Tim says, and even manages to spare a pitying look towards the door, and wherever Damian is behind it. Well, progress. "No way is he taking Damian out of Hogwarts over a surprise sorting. The Ancient and Noble House of Wayne can survive having a Hufflepuff in its midst."

Dick wonders how none of them ever learned that Bruce's great-grandfather was a Hufflepuff. And his great-aunt. The Wayne family might've been composed mainly of Ravenclaws and Slytherins, but it wasn't a hard and fast rule. Damian is unique, but not an oddity.

The al Ghuls are another story, of course, but the al Ghuls can kiss Dick's ass for all he cares about their opinion.

"Why don't you both head to bed?" Dick suggests. "This is a big year for you both—start it off right."

Third year for Tim, with all of the new classes and privileges that come with it. Fifth year for Jason, where he'll take his OWLs and determine the course of his future.

Jason smirks. "I'm starting with negative points, I think that ship has sailed."

"Plus you're one to talk," Tim says, amused. "Seventh year's pretty big itself, Mr. Head Boy. Don't you think _you_ need to get a good night's sleep, too? Leave Damian alone for the night, we can talk to him in the morning."

Dick's mother used to have a saying; _Always put on your oxygen mask before helping anyone else put on theirs._ It was a muggle reference, one Dick never really understood the context of considering he was raised in a magical circus, but the meaning came through well enough. You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else.

Dick's never really been good at that part. Maybe he inherited it from Bruce, who is incapable of not helping someone in need despite any detriment to himself, or maybe it was something Dick always had inside himself. Whatever the reason, there's not a chance in hell Dick's going to bed before he makes sure Damian is okay.

Besides, it's only one night of sleep wasted. A few hours, really. What is that, in the grand scheme of things?

"Go on," Dick urges again. "Seriously, guys, it's fine. Go to bed. I'll check in with you tomorrow, okay?"

Both Tim and Jason look at him doubtfully, but they follow the instruction nonetheless, bidding him goodnight and then heading down the hall, splitting off to go to their respective common rooms.

Dick sighs and turns back to face the door. He still can't hear anything inside, and by now he's sure that Damian must've put up a muffling charm, all the better to hide himself.

A closet. Damian Wayne is hiding in a _closet,_ because of what happened. What is Damian's plan, exactly? He can't seriously plan to sit in there all night. Was he going to sneak out after he thought the castle would be asleep and try to leave? If he thinks he pulled one over he's got another thing coming; Clark wasn't fooled by Damian's vanishing act, simply chose to stay back to let Dick handle it. But no way in hell is Clark not staying up tonight, waiting for word on his newest badger.

Screw it; Dick's had just about enough of this.

He flicks his fingers, picturing the lock coming undone, and hears it click open. He smiles briefly, pleased as he always is when performing wandless and wordless magic, and then pushes the door open.

Damian is getting to his feet as he does so, hands balled into fists and a fierce glare on his face as he looks up at Dick.

"What do you want?" the boy snaps.

Dick sighs. "To talk to you, for one. Maybe get you to abandon all thoughts of running away, if that's possible."

Damian clenches his jaw. "I'm fine," he says shortly. "I do not require your _mothering,_ Richard, so leave me alone."

Well, the fact that he's using Dick's first name without hesitation says he _does_ require a little bit of mothering, actually. Damian's come a long way from referring to them all by their last names—well, at least come a long way from calling _Dick_ by his last name—but he still tends to use it more often than not. Calling him 'Richard' right now is far more telling than Damian probably realizes.

Dick looks him over. His robes are wrinkled and dusty from having been sitting on the floor for a while, and his cheeks are flushed red, though Dick doesn't know if that's anger or embarrassment or a combination of the two. His wand is clenched tightly in one of his hands, fingers twitching slightly around it like he's anxious to cast something. Dick can understand the feeling; whenever _he's_ upset, magic makes him feel better, too.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" Dick suggests. "You didn't eat much during dinner; wanna get a snack?"

Damian sneers at him. "You think me so gullible? I know that the entrance to the Hufflepuff dormitory is near the kitchen."

"Oh no, you've ruined my dastardly plan," Dick says dryly. "Come on, Dames; does proximity really matter? I mean, if you're going to renounce your house you might as well do it from the comfort of a warm kitchen instead of a dirty broom closet."

Damian glances around himself, something almost chagrined in his expression as he looks at the setting he'd chosen. It had probably just been an easy escape for a scared boy, not a well-thought-out escape of the al Ghul heir.

"Fine," Damian says. He begins to stride forward, head raised stiffly. Dick watches him go for a few steps, amused by the idea of letting Damian reach the end of the hall and then wonder where to go, but he takes pity on the boy instead, stepping up beside him to lead the way.

The halls are quiet, deserted as everyone settles in for the night. Professor rounds won't have started yet for those on duty, so they really do have the castle mainly to themselves for a little while.

He doesn't force Damian to talk, instead pointing out some of his favorite paintings to the boy as they walk, saying hi to the ones who are awake and know him by name (which is most of them, actually. Dick was an explorer when he started at Hogwarts, and loved getting to know all the paintings in the castle).

When they reach the entrance to the kitchen, Dick tickles the pear on the painting of the bowl of fruit and it giggles at him before allowing him entry, the door swinging open. He turns back to gesture Damian forward and finds the boy frowning down the hall towards the barrels that block the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room.

"Come on," Dick says gently, and Damian startles, scowling at him before passing into the kitchen.

Dick hums with pleasure as he enters the kitchen. This place is always warm and smells perpetually of freshly baked bread, just generally a pleasant place to be. During exams, Dick and his friends still come down here and have study sessions late into the night, enjoying each others' company and the atmosphere. He's going to miss that after this year is over.

Dick nudges Damian towards the table and then sets about getting Damian a full plate of food. He knows the boy is unlikely to eat all of it, but the more there is on the plate the more Damian _can_ eat, and that's the goal.

"So," Dick says as he sits down across from his youngest brother, a mug of tea clasped between his hands.

"Do not start," Damian says sharply. He stabs his fork into his chicken like it has personally offended him. "I have no interest in whatever _platitudes_ you have to offer me."

Okay, right down to business, then.

"This doesn't make you any less, Damian," Dick says. Damian scoffs. "I'm _serious,_ hey, look at me."

Damian does so, though his eyes are narrowed and furious. And _desperate,_ maybe. For someone to fix everything. Unfortunately, _fixing_ the situation doesn't mean what Damian wants it to mean.

"Why does this upset you so much?" Dick asks quietly. He knows why, but he needs Damian to say it so he can argue the points.

"Because I'm supposed to be a Slytherin!" Damian snaps. "I am Damian al Ghul Wayne, I come from two great houses. Two great _Slytherin_ houses. Every al Ghul in the entirety of _history_ has been a Slytherin, and the fact that I am now a—a _Hufflepuff_ is an outrage! I am _supposed_ to be a Slytherin, I _have_ to be a Slytherin. There's been a mistake, I can't be—I'm supposed to be a Slytherin."

Dick wonders if the boy hears how desperate he sounds by the end. Probably not.

"Dami," Dick says gently. "Not being a Sytherin doesn't make you any less of a Wayne, nor any less part of our family." He doesn't say that it doesn't make him any less of an al Ghul, because he wouldn't put it past Ra's or even Talia to send Damian a _disappointed_ letter. He isn't going to make Damian promises he can't keep. But the one about always being his family? Well, that's just a fact.

"But—"

"No buts," Dick interrupts. "I'm serious, Damian. I understand how important this was to you, really, I do. I know how much being in Slytherin would mean to you. That doesn't make it the right place for you, though."

Damian bristles. "If you're saying I'm not _good enough—"_

Dick puts his hand over Damian's own where it sits curled into a fist on the table. The touch quiets him, the boy staring intently down at the point of contact.

"It's not about good enough," Dick tells him. "Your mother and grandfather made you think that _Slytherin_ means _better._ So many pureblood families feel that way, as if being a Slytherin makes you in some way _better_ than the other houses. But that's not how this works, Dami. The houses don't have any superiority over one another. Someone isn't more or less worthy of greatness depending on what crest they wear on their robes. It's about values and who we are at our core. And Hufflepuff is a pretty damn great house."

Damian scoffs. Dick cracks a smile, squeezing his hand. Damian's fist relaxes slightly under his grip.

"Let me list some of the common traits Hufflepuffs tend to have, and you tell me if you hear anything familiar, hm?"

Damian rolls his eyes at him. "Richard, this is a pointless exercise."

"Humor me, then."

Damian sighs and nods shortly.

"Thanks," Dick says, holding back a chuckle; the boy wouldn't appreciate it right now. "Hard-working, dedicated, strong feelings of right and wrong, loyal, unafraid, kind—"

"Now you're just making things up," Damian scowls.

Dick's eyebrows shoot up. "You don't think you're kind?"

"I know many people who would think that's the _last_ thing I am."

Dick smiles gently. "Well then it's a good thing the hat doesn't give a crap about what other people think."

Damian shifts, and Dick waits patiently, letting the boy collect his thoughts in peace.

"But you're—you're all of those things, and yet the hat put _you_ in Slytherin," Damian says eventually, tone unsure. "Why couldn't it do the same for me?"

This is a very simple question. One Dick had been expecting, at the very least. He knows what to say here to help Damian feel better. "The hat puts you where you need to be, where you are most likely to succeed, to become the best version of yourself. Most of the time, anyway. Slytherin was— _is_ —that place for me. And I agree with the hat that the best place for _you_ is Hufflepuff."

Damian's head snaps up, an incredulous look on his face. "You—you can't be serious! No, I should be a Slytherin. _You_ are a Slytherin, even _Drake_ is a Slytherin—"

"He's your brother, you're going to have to call him Tim eventually," Dick interrupts with an easy smile.

"What will Father think?" Damian asks quietly, voice almost vulnerable.

Dick considers his little brother for a moment, and then decides Bruce could forgive him for sharing this secret if it means helping Damian.

"Did you know," Dick says slowly, "that the hat almost—"

"Put you in Hufflepuff? That would not surprise me, nor does it make me feel any better, Richard."

Dick pushes past the interruption. "Not me, Dames. Bruce. The hat almost put _Bruce_ in Hufflepuff."

Damian stares at him. "No."

Dick laughs. Yeah, he didn't really expect a different response. People look at Bruce, always calm and in control, always powerful and intelligent, the head of a Noble and Ancient House, and can't imagine him as anything other than a Slytherin. They never look past the exterior.

And while Bruce _is_ a Slytherin, he told Dick about the hat's indecision. That the hat had been split, deciding between the two. That Bruce had pushed ever-so-slightly towards Slytherin, because he knew that as an eleven-year-old, pureblood, absolutely _loaded_ orphan, he had a million eyes on him, and being a Slytherin would serve him far better than Hufflepuff. And then the hat saw right through him, but considered that a very Slytherin thing to do and put him in the house of silver and green anyway.

Bruce told him that before Dick went off to his first year at Hogwarts. At the time, Dick had thought it was because Bruce thought Dick would be placed in Hufflepuff and was letting him know it was okay, but later on he figured out it was because Bruce knew he'd split the hat, too, and still end up where he needed to be.

Dick's never told anyone how the hat had debated putting him in Gryffindor, and how his attempt to tilt the hat _towards_ Gryffindor just ended up putting him where he's supposed to be anyway. He'll always be glad that the hat didn't listen to him, because he couldn't imagine being anywhere other than where he is. He's a Slytherin through and through, the same way Damian is a Hufflepuff.

"Yes," Dick disagrees. "He was. You can even ask him yourself, if you like. There were just a lot of contributing factors, and he ended up in Slytherin. But he wouldn't have been any less of a great man, a great _wizard,_ if he'd been a Hufflepuff instead."

Damian's frowning again, but this time it looks thoughtful rather than upset. Progress.

"Just give Hufflepuff a chance, Dami," Dick says softly. "Give it time. You're just as spectacular a kid in that house as you would be in Slytherin." Damian blushes slightly. "Besides, I think you'll look rather dashing in yellow and black, little bro."

Damian scowls again, but it's definitely out of embarrassment instead of anger this time. Dick grins in response.

The door to the kitchen opens, and Dick's head jerks up. _Technically,_ they're not supposed to be in the kitchen. Dick has some amount of leeway as Head Boy, but Damian is a first year and should be in bed.

But instead of someone coming to scold them, it's Jason and Tim. Dick blinks in surprise.

The pair of them spot them and come over with matching smiles, Tim dropping down next to Dick and Jason beside Damian. Jason throws an arm around Damian's shoulders, which he shrugs off with a disgruntled expression, but Jason simply ruffles his hair, unbothered.

"What are you guys doing here?" Dick asks, mystified.

"Family solidarity," Jason says, stealing something from Damian's plate and popping it in his mouth.

"Hear hear," Tm agrees, deadpan. Dick chuckles and puts an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. Tim gives a small smile and settles against his side.

"To family solidarity," Dick toasts, lifting his cup of tea. He looks at Damian. "To those who are true and unafraid of toil."

Damian ducks his head, but he can't disguise the way he smiles when Jason and Tim cheer, "To Hufflepuff!"

**Author's Note:**

> I am, myself, a Slytherin, and can and will square up for my Hufflepuff sister.
> 
> Because I am thoroughly attached to this sorting of the batboys, this is most likely going to become a series. We'll see.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
